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The NFL earns billions of dollars annually selling its media rights. As fans in stadiums and subscribers tune in to catch the action, coaches — even assistants and specialist coaches — are becoming household names. The highest-paid NFL defensive coordinators earn millions to gameplan against the offensive schemes of their opponents.
So how much do NFL defensive coordinators make? Although they aren’t making as much as head coaches, the highest-paid NFL defensive coordinators earn millions to maximize their team’s defensive players.
Who Is The Highest-Paid Defensive Coordinator In The NFL?
We don’t know the answer for sure, but there are two clear favorites for the title: Vic Fangio of the Philadelphia Eagles and Steve Spagnuolo of the Kansas City Chiefs. Both are seasoned coaching veterans who faced off in last season’s Super Bowl with Fangio’s Eagles dominating the then two-time defending champion Chiefs.
Fangio was hired in May 2024 to work in Philadelphia after spending 2023 with the Dolphins. Following last season, he has now coached 11 top-10 defensive units in yards allowed and points allowed in his career. Last season marked Fangio’s first Super Bowl title as a coordinator, but he had previously helped the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl as defensive coordinator in 2013. Fangio was the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 as the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator before a failed stint as the Denver Broncos’ head coach.
The 65-year-old Spagnuolo, like the 66-year-old Fangio, is a veteran defensive coordinator and former head coach. While head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce take up much of the spotlight on the Chiefs, Spagnuolo earned acclaim during Kansas City’s defense-led run to its second straight Super Bowl title in early 2024.
How Much Do NFL Defensive Coordinators Make?
Terms of Fangio’s Eagles contract were never reported, but when he signed his Dolphins contract in 2023, it was for three years at roughly $4.5 million per year, per Sports Illustrated. NFL Media reported at the time that it made Fangio the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL. Though Fangio’s tenure with the Dolphins ended in a mutual parting of ways after the 2023 season, it seems likely that the Eagles paid him a similar or greater amount to return to his native Pennsylvania.
After the Chiefs’ win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, Spagnuolo signed a new contract the following offseason to remain with the Chiefs that pays him around $5 million per year, according to ESPN.
Both of these contracts, as mentioned previously, are likely on the high end of NFL defensive coordinator salaries. NBC Sports reported in 2022 that the average coordinator salary was $1 million per year.
Experience pays best for NFL defensive coordinators.
As America’s most popular sport gears towards more offensive output, teams value experience when selecting defensive coordinators.
Fangio and Spagnuolo have a combined nearly 70 years of experience on NFL coaching staffs.
Who Are The NFL’s Highest-Paid Defensive Coordinators?
Aside from Fangio and Spagnuolo, another name likely among the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinators is Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings. Like Fangio and Spagnuolo, Flores is a former head coach and highly-regarded defensive mind whose aggressive, versatile scheme helped Minnesota to a 14-3 record last season.
Flores also remains in an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination, citing incidents he was involved in during his time as Miami Dolphins head coach as well as when interviewing for the New York Giants and Denver Broncos head coaching jobs.
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